What’s next?
Choosing what’s next after high school can be intimidating and full of different emotions. The great news is that you are not alone. You were made for holiness and that looks differently for everyone! This is our mission here at Chesterton, to help you discover your call to holiness!
We dedicated this page to have some resources that can help you navigate what God is calling to you next:
‘Sainthood Is Your Future’: Discovering My Vocation after High School, by Mary Donellan published in, Seton Magazine—Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources.
4 Helpful Rules For Discernment, by Father Mike Schmitz on Ascencion Presents
Succeeding in Holiness,
Sanctity, after all, is why my parents—along with the great majority of Catholic homeschooling parents—chose to educate me at home from the beginning.
They wanted to rear me for God in a loving and protected environment, immersed in the Sacraments and in a faith-filled life.
They were committed to providing me with a sound and challenging academic education . . . yet everything they taught me was ultimately aiding me to learn and succeed for the rest of my life in holiness.
As Catholics, we know our lives are ultimately about holiness and unity with Our Lord’s will, and that we find true peace and fulfillment by discerning and living out our individual vocations, whether they be to marriage, the priesthood, the religious or single life . . . but still, more than a few of us are probably tempted to wonder as we face graduation from homeschool: Does my decision about college/work/post-graduation-life really affect how I’ll discern my vocation? Doesn’t that vocation thing come along once I’m more of an adult?
Well, I didn’t think that was true. And so I found myself a seventeen-year-old fresh high school graduate with no immediate plans or desires for college . . . only determined to pray and see if God would reveal my vocation to me…
Your Destiny is Sainthood!
I write this for you, [graduate-to-be], to encourage you. Our stories won’t be the same, but you and I are nevertheless closely united in our mission for holiness. So as you look towards a future that is bright with God’s grace and promise, I urge you to trust in His plan for your life, and to be excited about it!
Endeavor to grow in your spiritual life.
Immerse yourself in prayer and the Sacraments, and see if the Holy Spirit is leading you to take time after your high school graduation so that you might better discern your vocation.
Talk with your parents honestly about your hopes, dreams, and spiritual tugs concerning the future.
College is a valuable aid and may very well lie on the path to discerning your vocation…but then again, it’s possible that it doesn’t, as it didn’t on mine.
Your ultimate destiny is sainthood, and by earnestly discerning and following the unique vocation God has given you, you will change the world, be it with or without a degree!